An Ocean Apart
by Azzamonkeyman
Summary: Rose has survived the sinking of the Titanic and is trying to deal with the death of her lover, Jack. However, when she hears that he may still be alive, she puts her new life as a middle class wife on hold to find him. But will their passion be the same?
1. Chapter 1  Rescue

_An Ocean Apart_

_Rescue_

Rose clung onto Jacks bitter cold hands, sobbing weakly, her voice fading in nothingness. Icy tears struggled to roll out of her eyes as her last ounce of energy was used to mourn the death of her lover. She thought back onto all the time they had spent together, over just several days. There was so much fun and laughter. The wild and exciting party Rose went to down in 3rd class was a world away from cotillions in 1st class with the snobbery she was born into. Jack showed her how to have a good time, and also saved her, in every way that a person can be saved. He stopped her from throwing herself off the back of a ship, and then stayed by her side as they both fought for survival on that sinking wreck. He really couldn't have saved her life anymore if he had tried. Rose thought about how romantic he was. He took her to the very front of the Titanic as she sailed forth, the sun setting, and spread out her arms. Rose was flying! She always had her head in the clouds when she was with Jack, but now she couldn't be lower. Jack was dead. . .

But Rose suddenly remembered what he had said just moments ago. "You're gonna get outta here. You're gonna go on, and you're gonna make lots of babies, and you're gonna watch 'em grow!" She remembered the sound of his voice as clearly as if he were talking to her now. "You're gonna die an old lady, warm in her bed. Not here, not this night, not like this, do you understand me?" Rose knew that he was right, but also realized that as Jack was saying this, he was saying goodbye in his own subtle way. She couldn't let Jack down. He had saved her so many times, and even in death, he was about to save her again.

Her eyes flew open with the sudden thought that the lifeboat rose had seen row by not long ago could be gone! Her only chance of surviving, of fulfilling Jack's promise, was gone. She raised her head from the chunk of wood that she was laying on. Her frozen hair crunched as it moved from its position. "_Come back!_" her quiet voice cried out. The cold night air was taking its toll on the freezing teenage girl in the middle of the North Atlantic. The lifeboat continued to sail on. It was but a black silhouette against the starry night sky as it drifted off into the distance. "_Come back, Come back!_" Rose was crying, but for different reasons this time. The more she thought about, the more she knew she didn't want to die. Jack was right. Rose could do something with her life without her mother and Cal. She had been freed from the chains holding her back, but how could she really be set free if she didn't keep fighting for survival. She had to think fast!

Rose lay her head down on the wood, her face in front of Jack. He floated next to the driftwood; the metal handcuffs around his wrists frozen to it. She looked into his closed eyes. He looked just like he was sleeping, but Rose had already tried to wake him up. His funny, artistic, passionate and loving soul had gone to heaven with the 1500 other poor souls all around them. She pressed her frozen lips against his icy hands and kissed them before raising his hands. The metal cuffs came up with some effort as they loosened from the frozen wood. "I'll never let go, I promise." She whispered to him softly, and then she kissed his hands one more time and lowered them into the water. He sank down into the sea, Rose's eyes filling with tears as his handsome face disappeared beneath the dark surface of the water. She watched in disbelief, but she had to keep moving, if not for herself then for Jack!

Rose rolled over, the wood rocked from side to side as she shifted her weight. She got to the edge of the floating debris and fell off into the water. It was unimaginably cold. Rose felt sharp pains as if a thousand icy knives were stabbing her all over her body. She mustered up every ounce of strength to swim across to an officer of the ship, who was slumped over a deck chair with a whistle in his mouth. Minutes ago he was blowing the whistle, screeching out the echoing howl to seek help. Now he was still and quiet. He looked like a statue floating in the middle of the ocean. Rose reached the dead men, her body aching, but she ignored it. Her mind was too busy to feel pain. She took the whistle from the mouth of the officer, took a deep breath of bitter North Atlantic air, and placed the cold metal object between her lips. In seconds, the screeching call for help was echoing across the vast and endless ocean. The sense of isolation and abandonment was overwhelming. She kept blowing the whistle, knowing that someone would hear it. It was the only sound to be heard. All was quiet now. It had been eerily silent for about 10 minutes, since the dying hulk of the Titanic sank into the dark ocean.

Suddenly, Rose saw a light! She closed her eyes slightly as the bright beam shone towards her. It was painful to look at. Rose hadn't seen light since the power went out on the dying Titanic. She hadn't seen light since she saw the light in Jack's eyes disappear. She kept blowing the whistle. The men in the lifeboat with the torch had to follow the sound. She could hear them calling out. She heard the voices, so distant, yet so near. She was feeling very tired. The blowing was getting weaker and weaker. The light was heavenly now. She kept looking into it, knowing that it was getting closer. If only she had done this sooner, maybe, just maybe, Jack would be. . .

Just then, a pair of strong hands grabbed Rose under each arm and pulled her up from the water. As soon as she felt her body come up from the frigid ocean she sighed with relief. She was in agony. Her limbs were numb and her joints were stiff. She couldn't feel her body, but she felt the hard wooden bench of the lifeboat as she was lay down on it. She tried to keep her eyes open, fearing what may happen if she shut them. Her gaze wandered from the officers beginning to row the boat again, up to the black night sky that hovered over them like a shroud, filled with glittering stars. In the city, you couldn't see the stars like this. It was beautiful to see. It was so huge and mesmerising and powerful, much more powerful than the people down here that looked up and dared to try and match the gods that could create such beauty. Hopefully now, 1500 lives later, those power hungry humans have learned their lesson.


	2. Chapter 2 Recovery

_Recovery_

Rose opened her eyes tiredly. The air was cool and crisp as it blew gently across her hair and face. The sky was pale shades of pink and orange, with wispy yellow clouds that shone brightly with the early morning sun. All around was the endless blue ocean, filled with intimidating mountains of white ice. It was hard to believe that one of these chunks of frozen water could sink a ship as big as the Titanic. Rose didn't want to think about the Titanic. It frightened her to think back on the previous nights events; because the conclusion was always the pain that she felt when she remembered that Jack was dead. Suddenly, something caught Rose's eye. She glanced upwards to see a black silhouette in the distance, with one tall funnel billowing smoke into the bitter sea air. It was a ship!

Rose tried to sit up, but she was so weak. She managed to raise her head, but no more. Ahead of this lifeboat was a colony of other lifeboats, all from the decks of the Titanic herself. Each one filled (or at least half filled) with the 700 survivors of the tragedy. 700, out of 2200? Rose felt sick when she did the sum in her head. She knew that there wasn't enough room on the boats for everyone aboard, but when she first realized this the evening before, she didn't think that the ship would happen to sink that night. Rose fixed her sights on the ship in the distance. She had to take everything one step at a time right now, and her first step was to get off of this boat.

She closed her eyes and tried to rest before they got to the ship. But just as she could feel herself slipping into unconsciousness, she saw a blinding green light. She opened her eyes to see a sailor waving a glowing green stick in his hand. Rose had no idea what it was, or what he was shouting. Her hearing was impaired along with her speech and movement. It was amazing how cold water could affect you, if not kill you. Rose rolled over, wrapping the blanket tightly around her. Lying next to her was a young woman and a little baby. The child was pale, very much like his mother, and there lips were blue. Rose gazed at the mothers hands, gripping the child lovingly. Her face was sad looking, her eyes shut. The baby looked frozen in a second of pain, its eyes tightly shut and its mouth agape. At least they had been rescued by this lifeboat. They could go on with their life soon enough.

Rose looked around the boat. It had many wooden seats, but they all looked empty. Rose could only see about 6 people, 9 including the sailors. Is that really how many people had been picked up from the water? Rose shuddered with this thought. What would all the families think? What would Rose's family think? She thought of her mother, Ruth, and the last time she had seen her face. Rose was just about to get onto a lifeboat with her mother, but she said goodbye and ran. She had to be with Jack, who had been handcuffed in the lower decks of a sinking ship. But Ruth's face; she looked devastated, and terrified. Her little girl had just run off into a foundering ship to be with a complete stranger. Rose did feel sorry for her mother. The heartache she must be feeling right now, to think that her daughter of just 17 years was dead, in the most awful way imaginable. But her father had always said, "Do what _YOU_ feel is right Rosy, not what your mother _THINKS_ is right." And Rose had never really followed this advice . . . until now.

After about half an hour, Rose's lifeboat reached the ship in the glow of the sunrise. On its hull were huge gold letters which read CARPATHIA. Over the side railing of the Carpathia, people looked down in curiosity at the masses of sorrowful faces which rowed up to the side of the towering vessel. They all looked so normal. Like they hadn't experienced and lived through what these 700 people have dealt with the previous night. All their faces, they weren't sympathetic, they just looked nosy. Then again, maybe they didn't even know what had happened. Rose thought that, if she had the strength, she would stand up from her seat and scream to them "The **unsinkable Titanic** has sunk and hundreds have died!" Celebrities, families, men, women, children. Death doesn't pick and choose who it will spare, but 1st class can, and 1st class did.

A rope ladder dropped down the side of the ship and dangled above the lifeboat. One after one, tired and aching survivors ascended up the steps. Sailors had to help them halfway up before they collapsed of exhaustion. At last, it was Rose's turn. She stood, the blanket still draped around her shoulders. She finally felt something, the weight of her body that her trembling legs were trying to support. She was still wearing a grey pear of shiny high heels, adorned with silver and pale pink jewels, but she had run around a sinking ship wearing them, so why shouldn't she be able to climb a ladder? She walked forward through the empty lifeboat, a ship's officer guiding her, as if she were blind. But she suddenly realized that if he walked away then she would fall. She felt so old and frail, as if she had lived her whole life in just a matter of days. She reached the ladder, grabbing the wooden poles with both of her white hands. Step by rickety step, she worked her way up, a sailor at her feet also coming up. When she got to the gangway door she saw a crowd of people with blankets and cups of tea. She felt the sudden warmth of the hallway and felt solid ground. She fell forward into someone's arms. Then there was nothing.

A servant that worked on the Carpathia held Rose in her arms and cradled her. She brushed her icy red hair from her eyes and wrapped another blanket around her. A ship's officer walked forward and knelt down, looking into the maid's eyes like she was filth and said, "Just let her die. She's 3rd class like you. Poor rat. Shame she never drowned like one."

He walked off, ignoring all the sobbing faces around him, and walked into his cabin, locking the door behind him. The maid brushed off his insult. She was used to it. It should have been in her job description. The fiery headed girl's eyes opened slowly, looking around the foreign environment. Rose murmured something. The maid put her ear close to her mouth.

"Is, tha-that you, T-Trudy?" She asked weakly, her voice shaking.

"No sweetheart, my name's Margaret."

Rose looked at the black and white maid's outfit and thought about Miss Trudy, her personal maid on the Titanic. She was the closest thing Rose had to a big sister, or a close auntie. She was such a kind and generous person. But did she make it off the ship alright?

"Can I get a cup of tea over here please!" yelled Margaret.

A man ran over with a steaming mug and handed it to the maid. "Is she alright?" he asked.

"She'll live if that's what you're asking." She took the tea and poured a smooth river of the brown liquid into the teenager's mouth. Rose welcomed it whole heartedly. It was the most warmth she had felt for hours.

"There you go, that's better. My mum always said to have a cup of tea when I was feeling down."

Rose took in what she had just said and smiled. It was the kind of normal statement that she always heard down in 3rd class. When you're a teenage girl growing up in 1st class, there really are no problems, or so say the parents, so when you have a problem you're told to take the horse and carriage for a ride around the grounds and count your money. That always put a smile on Ruth's face, but to Rose, money was just dirty paper that people valued far too highly.

"We'll need to get you to a bench, let you have a little sleep." Said Margaret, looking out onto the deck to see if there was an empty seat.

"Margaret, being on that lifeboat, I feel as if I've slept for a lifetime. I need to stay awake. I can't go to sleep . . . I keep seeing…" She closed her eyes, feeling a sudden rush of pain racing through her heart. Margaret couldn't begin to understand what this poor girl must have seen last night. Just then, she caught a glimpse of the sparkling heels on Rose's feet.

"Oh, we need to get you up to the first class area of the ship! We can't have you down here miss!"

"I'm not 1st class! Not anymore…" She remembered Cal and Ruth. "Keep me away from those pompous idiots!"

Several people looked down at Rose in confusion, wondering what the matter was. The maid pulled down Rose's blanket and covered the shoes. "I have a spare pair of shoes. I'll give you them." She whispered to the girl secretly. Rose nodded, thanking her silently for understanding and not questioning.

Rose sat on a bench in the open air of the 3rd class deck. The ship was sailing again, the new morning sky bright blue. A stark contrast to the black, star studded sky several hours before. All the lifeboats of the Titanic had been retrieved or almost all of them. Rose didn't quite know. She had seen many of them leave the sinking ship earlier that morning, but she also saw one nearly crushed by the foremost funnel of the ship. It was amazing how violently the ship sank now that Rose thought of it. It didn't just sink. It rose upwards into the sky, her funnels collapsing and crushing unsuspecting swimmers, then her lights went out and the ship broke in half causing her stern to fall back to the ocean, and then it rose up vertical and disappeared beneath the waves. All in only under 3 hours! It amazed Rose immensely, yet terrified her still, and she had experienced the sinking inside the vessel within her flooding hallways, and up on her sloping promenade decks. She knew that this would be the news of the century, and that once the Carpathia got to New York, all the survivors, 1st and 3rd class, would be swarmed by paparazzi. Rose had a story to tell, everyone had a story to tell, but Rose didn't want to share her story. It hurt too much. She decided then and there tha her heart would remain a deep ocean of secrets, and that her tale would only be told when the time was right.

Margaret ran past the sobbing and shocked faces of the few steerage passengers that lived to tell their tale. She was carrying a pair of brown leather shoes with white laces. She made her way over to Rose and knelt down.

"I know there probably nothing compared to your shoes, but they'll help you blend in. The last thing we want is for you to get dragged up to 1st class, or worse, be called a looter! It's terribly easy to steal from all those posh cabins when they're empty and the boats sinking!"

Rose watched her lace the shoes onto her cold feet, her own shows sitting on her lap. When Margaret was finished, Rose stood up, slowly but surely, and walked over to the edge of the moving ship. She looked down at the white waves that galloped alongside the ship and splashed up the side of the hull, spraying her face gently. The ship raced past patches of white rock in the sparkling blue water. Rose lifted her arm and put it out over the side of the ship, her expensive high heels dangling in her fist, and then she loosened her hold and watched the jewelled shoes drop down the side of the ship, soaring towards the deep blue. And then they were gone. Rose sighed, and felt a great weight come off of her shoulders. Margaret opened her mouth in shock. "Were you right to have done that miss? You may regret that. They looked pricey."

"Yes, they were expensive, but it's just a pair of shoes." Rose turned and glared into the maid's eyes. It wasn't an angry look, but more of a strong, independent look. "People lost their lives last night. Wives lost their husbands, children lost their fathers, so I shall not miss an item of clothing."

Margaret nodded. "Of course, how stupid of me to ask. I'll let you rest miss. Shout if you need me." And she walked off to help with more recovering souls.

Rose smiled softly and turned her back, gazing out into the endless horizon. She turned her head and saw the mother and baby lying on the floor by the side of the ship. They were sleeping still. It didn't surprise Rose after the night they must have had. Just then, an officer placed a blanket over the two of them and was helped by another man to lift them up and toss them over the side of the speeding ship. Rose looked away and closed her eyes. They looked so peaceful. They couldn't be dead . . . It was only a baby…

Rose spent the rest of the morning sitting on that lonely bench, staring sadly out to sea, the sea that took so many lives, including the one she valued most. She couldn't understand why it had to happen, but it happened, and Rose had to understand that at least. She knew that if she kept thinking back on the horror of the sinking that she would eventually go insane. She had seen women down here among the 3rd class "rats" ripping their hair out and screaming hysterically for their lost ones. One woman had only just woken up and screamed her heart out when she heard that the mighty Titanic had in fact sank with her husband onboard still. She must have fallen asleep as soon as she was on the lifeboat, unaware of the severity from the damage done by the iceberg. Rose could only watch as the woman curled up on the floor and held the handkerchief in her shaking hands, soaking it with her tears. The tears that all these survivors had cried could sink a ship in 3 hours without a doubt.

Suddenly, Rose saw a figure walking down the stairs that separated the upper classes from 3rd class. The man walked down, glancing at the enormous pile of used life jackets that had been heaped up like trash with the steerage passengers. He looked around and listened to the still silent air and puzzled gazes that seemed to follow him in his wet tuxedo. Just then, a woman with burning red hair stepped out of a crowd of people, a blanket draped around her shoulders. The delicate female stood with her back to the man behind her.

"Rose!" Cal yelled, lunging forward to grab the woman. He turned her round violently to glare into her eyes. She turned in fright, to look into the mad man's eyes. Cal glared back at the stranger. It wasn't Rose. Instead of apologising, he turned round and went on his way, taking one last glance around him to look for his wife-to-be. He couldn't see her. Rose watched him walk off, wrapping her tartan cover around her head to cover her hair. He turned abruptly, as if he felt her gaze scorching him in the back. She whipped her head back round, to avoid being seen by the man who would ruin her life even more than it was. He walked back up to 1st class, and she lost sight of him.

Cal walked into the crowds of 1st class passengers, enjoying a cup of tea and chatting about the night's events as if it were a polo match. Ruth ran out towards him, her neatly tied up hair now hanging wildly over her face, her eyes and nose red with cold and sore with crying.

"Was she there?" She asked him, her eyes hopeful, her lips trembling with fear.

Cal shook his head and took her hands. "I'm sorry Ruth . . . Rose is dead."

She looked into his eyes, tears building up more than ever, already rolling down her pale cheeks. Ruth fell to her knees and wailed sorrowfully, her fists pounding the floor. "My baby!" She screamed over and over again. Cal couldn't watch her. He knew it was his fault. He had chased her into the bowels of the flooding ship whilst shooting at her and Jack. He couldn't bare to feel the guilt, and left the mother to mourn the loss of her only child. Her baby was dead…

Rose had to be recovering. She felt that she must be, because she cold hear the screams of her mother and she still didn't run to be with her. Her heart was cold, but not out of her own decision. The Atlantic had made it that way.


	3. Chapter 3 As Survivors We Sail

_As Survivors We Sail_

The next few days, Rose went around the 3rd class decks of the ship and helped fellow survivors, yet kept to herself and didn't speak much. She didn't quite know how much time had gone by since the morning of the 15th of April. There were no clocks or watches for steerage passengers. Then again, rats can't tell the time.

Rose heard many stories from people, about their bravery and their experiences as the ship sank, but Rose hadn't told anyone what she had seen and gone through. When people asked her, she simply told them she couldn't remember.

But there was one thing that _everyone _was talking about. Did the ship break as she sank or did she go down in one piece?

"I heard a huge explosion when we were sitting on the lifeboat, and I saw the ship blow up and go down in flames."

"No, no, it didn't explode! I saw the stern tear away from the forward section of the ship and then that fell back and sank."

"That didn't happen at all. The ship's lights went out and it started rising up really quickly and when it was straight up it just rushed down into the sea."

"Nah, I'm sure I saw its lights go out and then it rolled over and fell onto its side and then went down."

"I saw the middle of the ship split and the bow rose out of the water and the stern rose up and they crushed one another."

"The bow never rose out of the water! The power went out and the Titanic broke right in the middle and sank."

"It broke between the 3rd and 4th chimney, not the middle!"

"It didn't even break. It kept rising to about 50 degrees and then slipped under."

Rose couldn't bear to listen to the stories. Rose was on the ship's stern when it broke, so she didn't know exactly how or where it broke, but she knew it never burst into flames or rolled onto its side. She did grip on for her life when it fell from its high angled position and levelled out again. That much she knew. The screams that went up when the stern broke off and began to plummet downwards was like the roar you hear at a baseball game when you get a home run, only it wasn't fun and games.

"What did you see ma dear lass?" An Irishman questioned Rose.

Rose turned away from her view of the sea and sat on the edge of her usual bench to look at the man.

"I honestly can't remember." She told the man politely.

Just then, an old woman stood from the circle of survivors and slowly walked over to Rose. All the faces followed the woman as she hobbled along the wooden deck. Her hair was a mess of white strands that blew around her in the wind of the sailing Carpathia. Her clothes were almost rags and her jewels looked ancient. Her face was aged and withered, with lines of experience and time that decorated the grey skin. But there was an ora of wisdom to her, no matter how she looked. She took Rose by the hand and squeezed it gently. Rose looked at her, fascinated by the curious lady. The woman looked up into Rose's eyes and analysed them. Rose's deep blue eyes showed no nerves, but they were hiding something, and the white haired lady could sense it. She stepped back, still holding Rose's hand and smiled softly, the folds on her face increased in number.

"You don't need to hide anything from us, deary." She reassured the teenager warmly.

Rose smiled and replied, "I don't _want_ to hide it, but I _have_ to…"

The womans grip tightened. "I know sweetheart, I know. We've all seen too much for anyone on this earth to carry with them, but sometimes it helps to share what you're feeling."

"You're so kind, but I don't know you all that well. I wouldn't want to lumber you with what I know and how I feel"

"Us lot hardly know each other either, but we all have something in common now. Something has happened that now makes us one and will keep us united til the end of our days. We're survivors!"

Rose nodded, a tear slowly trickled down her face. The lady wiped it away and took a hair that was hanging over Rose's face, placing it behind her ear. She came off the bench that had been her safe place for several days and joined the other passengers on the hard wooden floor. More people gathered round when they saw the silent young red head sitting down with the white haired mystic woman, hand in hand they comforted one another.

Rose smiled and waved at the people around her. They waved back and smiled cheerily. Everyone really was friendly and welcoming, despite the tragedy they had all endured. A little boy raised his hand, as if he were in school awaiting permission to speak.

"You needn't raise your hand. I'm just like you." Rose said, and as she did, everyone turned their focus to her flowing pink and purple dress, all the layers of fabric hiding under Cal's black overcoat. She had completely forgotten about the fact she was wearing one of her dresses. The last of her dresses. "Well, telling you about the sinking is one thing, but explaining to you about how I am wearing this is something else completely!" Rose laughed. Everyone came in closer as she said this, suddenly overcome with intrigue and curiosity. Rose sighed, giving into their desperate stares for a good story.

"Well, if you _must_ know, I should be up there." She pointed to the snobs and posh morons strolling around on the 1st class promenade. Everyone gasped.

"Then what ya doin' down 'ere ya dozy mare?" A Scottish woman asked with astonishment on her face.

"Well, I was being forced to marry an arrogant man who I really did not love, or even like. My mother just wanted me to marry him because he was rich and she was losing her wealth. My father had a serious gambling problem, and all our money was going out the window by paying his debts off after he passed away, so my mother arranged my own marriage. We had come through to England to buy my dress for the wedding, but I couldn't find one I liked, so we decided to head back to America on the Titanic."

Everyone's heads lowered at the sound of the name that had changed all their lives forever.

"But my life changed on that ship, in more ways than one. Not only did I, and all of us, see the most harrowing scenes our eyes could ever witness, but I met a man that changed the way I saw the world and made me feel brand new. This man had a gift. He was an incredible talented artist travelling 3rd class, but he could see people on the inside, not just outwardly. I didn't care that he was sleeping down in the lower class decks of the ship, I _loved_ this man! In just a matter of days I truly learned the real meaning of love and how it felt to feel it for someone."

"What was his name mam?" A little girl with curly brown hair asked, grinning widely. In her hand she held a little toy pig with a wind up tail, that through out the Carpathia's journey had played soothing lullabies.

"His name was . . ." Before Rose could speak one of the ship's officer's walked over to her, his shadow looming over her like a storm cloud. His face was stiff and serious. It was the man that had ridiculed Margaret for helping Rose when she had just got onto the ship. The man that referred to her as "a rat."

"We'll be getting into New York later on tonight. You'll need to get your things together before you depart, we don't want any litter on our decks."

"What belongings? We've lost everything! All the things I own are at the bottom of the Atlantic with the fishes." A frumpy little Irishwoman told him sternly.

"Well, I don't mind. As long as you're all off the ship when we dock I don't care." He began to walk off. "And everything to _you_ can't be a lot. A toothbrush at the most I'm presuming." He smirked horridly and off he went.

Rose stood up angrily, her fists clenched. Several kids tugged at her dress to make her sit down again. They sensed her frustration with the pompous man, but there was no swaying Rose when she felt like this.

"Well, I hope that you still own your testicles, because if you don't start treating us like human beings, then I'll make sure they're with the fishes! And I'm not one to make empty threats…"

Everyone giggled as they watched the officer turn red and storm off in an even fouler mood. He went back up to the crew quarters, not looking back once.

"Where did you learn to speak like that my dear girl?" The frumpy woman asked, giggling still.

"When you've spent your whole life being told not to speak unless spoken to, and with all the frustration of being 1st class building up inside you, it really does take its toll, and sometimes it just . . . pops out!" Rose shrugged her shoulders and laughed.

She didn't feel alone… Not anymore… It was true… They were all survivors, and if they could escape the wreck of a sinking Titan, then they could battle through the dirty looks and ridicule until they got off at New York.

"What's that?" A little boy looking over the side of the ship asked, pointing into the distance ahead of the ship. Rose walked over and knelt down to his height, half shutting her eyes, trying to focus on the objects in the distance.

"Is it ice?" A man asked frantically, lifting his suitcase nervously.

"No, it's not ice. It's buildings…" She turned to face the people behind her. "It's New York!"

Everyone gasped silently and ran over to the edge, leaning out into the strong gusts of wind, and stared at the little grey objects that were towering in the distance, all different heights and shapes and sizes. The sky was growing darker, the sun disappearing beneath the sea at the end of the horizon, with clouds shrinking into colours of orange, purple and yellow. But in the colours of triumph and hope that hovered in the sky and shone brightly onto the ship, there were dark rain clouds that drifted menacingly among the sunset.

No one dared to cheer. No one could. No matter how happy they were to see land, they couldn't help but think of how fortunate _they_ were and how unfortunate others were. The thought of almost dying would be on everyone's mind, and moments of joy would be hard to come across for a while to come, but Rose had one thought on her mind that would help her get by.

"We lived. For whatever reason, we lived, and better times were to come. It would take time to heal, but the wounds _would_ close.Everyone here had someone, whether it was family, a friend, or a fellow survivor, be it a stranger or not. For the rest of this voyage and the rest of our lives we will always be comforted by the thought that we will move forward, and as survivors we sail."

The brown haired girl skipped over to Rose and looked up at her. "What was his name?" she asked happily.

"Jack… Jack Dawson." It was the first time Rose had said his name out loud since…

"Did he make it?" The little girl asked, seeing the look in Rose's eyes. It must have been a 3rd class thing to sense what people were feeling with one look.

Rose shook her head, tears building up in her eyes. The little girl rushed forward comfortingly and wrapped her arms around Rose's waist. Rose warily lifted her arms, and after a second cuddled the little girl too.

"As survivors we sail," She whispered softly to the little girl. "As survivors we sail."


	4. Chapter 4 New Life in New York

_New Life in New York_

It was dark by the time the Carpathia reached New York. The ship docked in a harbour mobbed with hundreds, if not thousands of people trying to find their loved ones among the 700 survivors departing from the ship. The storm clouds had now dominated the night sky and rain poured down onto the city, drenching all those waiting desperately to catch a glimpse of who they were looking for. Paparazzi swarmed the survivors as they walked off the rescue vessel and blinded them with their flashing cameras and impertinent questioning. It was heartbreaking to watch people's hopeful gazes break apart when the last of the survivors walked off the ship, for they knew then that if there loved ones hadn't departed by now, then they mustn't have survived the tragedy. And then there were the heart warming reunions of those lucky enough to find the people they were looking for, their tearful eyes and enormous smiles of relief as they embraced one another lovingly.

Rose stood on the harbour looking up at the glowing statue of Liberty that loomed over her. She was mesmerised by its immense size and beauty, although that's how people felt about the Ship of Dreams and look how that turned out. Rose prayed that starting a new life in this City wouldn't let her down too. She had had enough of falling apart inside and being left to pick up the pieces.

She stayed on the Carpathia until she saw Cal and Ruth leave the harbour. Ruth spent half an hour wandering the masses of people to try and find her daughter, but her efforts were wasted. Cal, after watching her search for so long, finally got tired and led her away towards the cabs that were racing along the road. They would probably spend the night in a hotel and then head out to Philadelphia the next morning, to tell the wedding guests that the wedding was off.

Just then, as Rose was inspecting the intricately detailed face of the statue looking upon her, a man with a clipboard and a black umbrella walked over to her.

"Can I take your name please, love?" He asked politely.

Rose looked at him for a second, thinking about an answer to his question. And before she knew it she had told him what she so desperately wanted her name to be.

"Dawson… Rose Dawson." She told him. He thanked her and walked off.

Rose had finalised her decision to start a new life. She had changed her name. She was a new person, living a life that the person she loved wanted her to live. But she didn't know where to start. She thought for a second about sleeping under a bridge like Jack used to do, but that seemed a bit of an absurd thing to do. A young girl in a strange city sleeping alone under a bridge was just asking for trouble. She had to think of something.

It was getting cold. She put her hands in the pocket of Cal's overcoat, which he had given her on the boat deck of Titanic. A gesture that was more to show his air of ownership and authority to Jack rather than to help her. Suddenly, she felt something cold in her hand. It felt round and smooth, with a chain of some sort attached to it. Rose couldn't believe it. She knew what this was. She brought out the object and held it in her hand. And there, twinkling a deep blue sparkle in her hand with a shining silver chain was the Heart of the Ocean! The heart shaped gem lay in her palm, as heavy as the memories that suddenly ran through her mind.

"How careless of him!" Rose thought to herself. "No wonder he was looking for me."

She shoved it back into her pocket and laughed to herself. Cal must be furious! But what would she do with it. She couldn't try and pawn it like a cheap necklace. This jewel was worn by Louis the 16th, and was 56 carats! She couldn't trust a sleazy backstreet pawnshop dealer with such a royal stone. No, she decided then that she would not sell it no matter how much it was worth. She wanted to start a new life on her own, with no help from Cal or her mother, and if she sold the necklace and got however much money, it would basically be all thanks to Cal. She would keep it, as a reminder of what she's left behind. It would keep her wanting more of the little things out of life, not big blue rocks to weigh you down.

She walked down the gangway stairs and onto the harbour. Behind her, the Titanic's last few empty lifeboats were being lowered off of the boat deck. They were all empty and gleaming white. All that was left of that floating palace. She began to walk away when suddenly a reporter jumped out from behind a wall and flashed a camera at her.

"And what exactly do you think you're doing?" Rose asked irritably.

"Sorry lady, I was just trying to get a good shot, and with a face like yours it would be hard not to get a good shot." The man replied in a flirting way.

Rose blushed. "Why thank you. That's very kind." She began to walk off when the man placed his hand on her shoulder.

"My name's Robert, Robert Marshall, but I'll let you call me Rob." He told her, holding out a firm hand.

Rose smiled and took his hand, shaking it merrily. "Rose DeWi… Dawson. Rose Dawson." Saying this name would take some getting used to.

"Nice to meet ya miss Dawson." He said sincerely. They stood for a minute, still shaking hands, their grip not loosening, and their smiles unfading. He was a good looking man, with light brown, neatly trimmed hair and a very handsome face. He reminded her of an actor; he had a face for the screen. Rose suddenly felt a hot flush come across her and she let go, giggling happily.

"Do you know anywhere I could stay for the night? You see I have no money and…"

"Oh well, ya see babe, in New York if you got no money you got no life. That's why I'm doin this job."

"You mean you don't want to be a photographer."

"Well I'm a bit more than a photographer. I'm a reporter kind of guy. I was paid to get a few shots of survivors crying and the ship docking and Bruce Ismay, but that guy knows how to avoid the flashes."

"So you don't like being a, 'reporter kind of guy' then?"

"Well, no. I don't particularly like taking photos of people in their darkest hours after such a tragedy, but I'm getting' paid for it, so I do it. But that's life in the Big Apple honey!"

Rose liked this Robert. He was honest. He reminded her of…

"That's life I guess." Rose repeated, shrugging her shoulders, the rain still pounding the ground around them. Rose turned to head into the maze of towering buildings and bright lights of the City, but Robert stopped her.

"Where ya headed?" He asked curiously.

"Anywhere dry I guess Mr Marshall. It's awfully yet out here don't you think?"

Robert laughed, looking up at the sky. "Yeah, you got a point there."

"Although this is nothing compared to swimming in the Atlantic Ocean." Rose added.

"That must've been a nightmare if I may be so bold as to say so?"

"Yes… yes it was." Rose replied, looking down at the puddle under her feet.

"You wanna coffee?"

"What?"

"Or a tea? Or a wine? . . . Or a beer?"

Rose laughed. "You think a girl like me can't drink?"

"I wouldn't even doubt it for a second." He said, as he began taking off his jacket and hat.

"What are you doing? The heavens are flooding down in case you haven't noticed?"

He walked over to the drenched red head girl and put his brown, pin striped jacket over her shoulders and placed his bowler hat on top of her head. Rose giggled, imagining how silly she must have looked, and how wet he looked now, his shirt soaked and clinging to him, detailing his rather sculpted and toned body.

"Let's go then!" He said, holding out his arm.

"Okay then my good sir! Lead the way!" Rose beamed merrily, linking arms with Robert, the man she just met, but the nicest man she could have expected to meet in New York. Robert started skipping towards the bright lights of the City before them. Rose was laughing and struggling to keep up with him, admiring his up beat personality.

Robert took her to a little shop just round the corner. Its sign which hung over the door read '_**Antonio's Astounding Ale's**_' Rose was definitely in the mood for something to drink. They opened the door, a little bell ringing above them, and walked into a large bar. The walls were a dull shade of yellow which looked like it was once bright, with the wallpaper peeling off at parts. The floor was patterned with black and white tiles, a few cracking and the white discolouring. The furniture was basic, wooden chairs and tables with a bar at the end of the room. A wall of shelves adorned with bottles of all different drinks and glasses stood behind the bar. It was a simple bar, more simple than most places Rose had been to, but she was 3rd class now. She couldn't complain, and quite honestly, she didn't want to. She found the pace endearing.

"I'd like you to meet Antonio." Robert said to Rose, pointing to the man cleaning glasses behind the lonely bar. "Hey Anto!"

The man looked up. He was short and fat with tanned skin and black hair that was tinning on top. He had a moustache and dark brown eyes. He looked Italian and Rose knew it as soon as he opened his mouth.

"Ah! Roberto! Comma here my boy!" He cheered happily, his arms raised. He was wearing a white vest and his armpit hair and chest hair was clearly visible, as were the sweat rings. He was a funny looking little man, but seemed extremely kind.

Robert ran over and bear hugged the man, both of them looking like father and son, not in their looks, but their closeness.

"Where'a have you been, eh? Mamma was'a worried sick!"

"I was outta town for a while, business and all that, and I've been at work most of the week…" He leaned in and whispered "_The Titanic just came into the harbour and my boss was paying us double to get a few good shots. She's one of the_ . . ."

Antonio turned to look at Rose as she stood watching the pair converse secretly. She smiled sweetly and waved a small greeting with her delicate, pale hand that poked out from under two overcoat sleeves. Antonio walked out from behind the bar and stepped over to the red headed beauty standing in his empty shop. He took her hand and kissed it. She giggled.

"Mamma Mia, if I wasn't married to Bella…" Antonio gasped, gazing at her eyes.

Rose went pink "How charming . . . I think?" She looked at Robert puzzled.

"Don't worry; it's a compliment, although Mamma would _not_ be happy to hear it."

Just then, a door at the other end of the room swung open. A little woman with purple rollers in her hair and of the same complexion as Antonio stormed into the room. Her flowery pink dress and white apron billowed behind her as she raced towards her husband furiously. Her dark brown hair bounced as her slippers squeaked along the tiles.

"Antonio! Cosa pensa che si sta facendo? Queste mura hanno orecchi sapete, così come mamma!" She yelled angrily, pointing at him and then the walls with a stern finger.

Antonia waved his arms defensively. "Bella, Bella, calma, non è questo che cosa assomiglia! Lei mi ha insegnato una lezione l'ultima volta ho dormito attorno..."

"Ah sì? Anche lei meglio hanno imparato una lezione perché la mia padella non è mai stata la stessa forma ancora!" Bella moaned into her husband's face.

Rose couldn't understand them, but she knew that Bella was angry with Antonio for something. Before things got out of hand, Robert stepped out from behind the bar.

"Mamma! How good to see you!" He shouted, trying to change the subject.

Bella looked up, shocked to see the face before her. She opened her arms and raced past Antonio and Rose to scoop up Robert in a big warm hug.

"Mi è stato così preoccupati Roberto! Where have you been?" She said in a caring voice this time.

"Oh, you know, work, travel, ya da ya da! I can take care of myself now Mamma."

She squeezed his cheeks tightly. "Yes, but you'll always be my poco American cherubino." After saying this, Robert looked slightly embarrassed.

"Mamma, Pappa, this is Rose Dawson. She just got in on the Carpathia tonight. She was one of the 700."

"Oh, my sweet little girl, I'm sorry for assuming that you were his play thing." Bella apologised sincerely, but rather unexpectedly. "Although it wouldn't be like him _not _to bring in a girl when I'm upstairs!" She stared him down.

"That's quite alright Bella, I admire your honesty." Rose assured her modestly, but still in shock.

"Come upstairs Rose darling, and I'll fish you out some nice clothes. That jacket you're wearing is awful!"

Robert coughed. "Excuse me Mamma, but that's _my_ jacket."

"I should have guessed. You never did have taste. If only you let _me_ do your clothes shopping you wouldn't walk around looking like every other New Yorker out there!"

Mamma and Rose walked ahead of the boys and left the room, Bella's arm around Rose's shoulder comfortingly. Everyone knew about the sinking, and the fact that the few survivors would be coming in tonight, but Bella was deeply touched to see the young woman standing in her shop looking lost and alone. Robert and Antonio sat at the bar, listening carefully to hear the girl's footsteps go upstairs, and the sitting room door shut behind them one floor up. When they were out of ear shot, Robert leaned into the Italian shop owner and whispered.

"I've been working my ass off all night for a good story . . . and I think I'm gonna get one."

The men sneered menacingly and clinked together their beer bottles. Robert could see money on the horizon . . .


	5. Chapter 5 A Sheter from the Storm

_A Shelter from the Storm_

Bella opened the door leading into her apartment above the shop. The décor was very feminine, obviously her décor choice. The walls were papered with floral patterned sheets, most of them peeling off from the wall. The carpet was red and fluffy under Rose's feet as she took her shoes off. A pair of scruffy looking white curtains covered half of the window, allowing some light from the flashing sign across the street to illuminate the room. Rose looked around as Bella moved aside some newspapers from a small chair. The furniture didn't match. It was as if they had just borrowed pieces of furniture from other people and placed it in a room, not caring if the colours went together or not. The long couch that sat beneath the small window was brown with a red patch sown onto it. The arm chair next to that was green and the chair that Bella had cleared for Rose was a breakfast table chair that was being used as a sitting room seat. It was wooden and looked rather unstable, but Rose couldn't be picky now, and she sat on it, making sure she didn't put all her weight down at once in case the thing buckled. There was a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Not a diamond encrusted one with candles, but a small metal one with plastic beads hanging from it holding bulbs, some of which had gone out. The room was quaint, but the smell was delightful!

"It's not much, but it's home. I'm going to make spaghetti for us all. Do you like spaghetti bolognaise my darling?" Bella asked her, scurrying into one of the 3 doors that lead out of this room.

"You're home is lovely, and yes, that would be splendid!" She told her happily.

"I love the chandelier. May I ask where you got it from?"

Bella popped her head out of the open door and said, "It was here when we bought the property. Antonio never did like it, but I told him it was staying, and what Mamma says goes!" She popped her head away again, the sound of plates clattering soon followed.

Rose understood very much that Mamma was in charge of this house, even if Pappa was in charge of running the shop downstairs.

"May I help you with anything Bella?" Rose asked politely, not wanting to sit like part of the furniture and do nothing.

The sound of sizzling water and pans bashing against each other echoed throughout the building. Bella called through to her guest. "You could set the table for me, Rose if that would be okay with you?"

Rose jumped up, the chair wobbling with surprise, and walked over to the kitchen. Bella handed her four plates, eight knives and eight forks. Rose went straight to the table at the end of the room with its mis-matching chairs and patchy table cloth, and went about setting the table. She felt useful for once. No maids or butlers to do the work for her. She had never really set a table, but always felt sorry for the people that set the tables in 1st class. 7 course meals with half a dozen forks, the same amount of knives and countless spoons for you to choose from, half of which were actually used. There was really no sense in all the cutlery set out at posh dinners. No wonder Jack was confused with what ones to use when!

Rose giggled to herself quietly. Thinking of Jack now didn't hurt as much. She was thinking of the funny things they did together, and how proud of her he would be now as he watched her become friends with the lower classes of New York City. She was about to have her first meal as a 3rd class citizen of America, and she couldn't wait!

Bella walked into the room, a trail of delicious smelling steam following her seductively. "That's dinner cooking away." She stated proudly. She walked over to Rose, who had just finished laying down the last plate. Mamma looked her up and down, examining her figure and shape, her hair colour and her cheerful blue eyes.

"I know exactly what you should wear!" Bella grinned, throwing her arms into the air, avoiding the chandelier by inches. "Follow me Rose, you're going to love this!"

Rose followed Bella into another door that opened up to a long dark staircase. This building was amazingly larger on the inside than the outside. The stairs lead up to another door, almost like an attic space. Rose felt excited, yet curious as to what Bella would show her. And then, they reached the door. Bella brought out a small golden key and placed it into the keyhole, the cogs clicked and turned as the door began to un-lock. When the door opened, Rose saw what looked like hundreds of dresses and shoes and hats and coats of all colours and sizes and styles. There were racks and wardrobes full of the clothes. Rose's eyes lit up. It was extraordinary!

Bella walked over to one of the racks and looked through the dresses. A rainbow of colours whizzed by as she fingered through them like the pages of a book. "I suppose you're wondering why I have all these up here?"

Rose nodded her head, her mouth agape.

"Well _these _didn't come with the property unfortunately." Bella joked. "The truth is I actually used to be a model, and whatever I wore I kept. It was my way of being paid. Money to me meant nothing, because at the time Antonio's business was raking in the green… but then his bar was shut down and we lost everything and moved into this place. We could only afford it by selling our old furniture and selling some of my dresses, which made quite a bit if I'm honest."

She gazed at them admiringly, as if she wished so desperately to wear them once again, and go back to the glamorous life she once had.Rose could understand how she felt.

"I modelled for Imperial Fashion, a shop that used to be up the street, but it was closed too and they gave most of there stock away to their models, me being one of them. I never did wear them again."

Rose looked at the array of fur coats and faux scarves, and gloves adorned with jewels, taking in Bella's tale. "Why wouldn't you wear them again, they're beautiful!"

"You can't live in this neck of the woods and run a dirty old joint like the one downstairs, and be seen walking out wearing these glad rags. You'd be robbed of everything you have . . . Even if that's nothing in the first place."

Rose looked at the photos in frames hanging on the wall. A tanned young girl with flowing black hair and pouted lips, wearing glamorous dresses, and sometimes nothing much to speak of. She was beautiful. A stunningly attractive black and white model. But that was in the past. Now Rose saw a bossy old house wife wearing an apron, but her hair was still radiantly dark, and the eyes and lips were the same. Still fierce and pouted, hiding a history of fame and fortune that was gone. Rose couldn't believe how similar their lives were.

Bella sat on top of a chest, dust sprinkling off of it as she sat. Her face looked reminiscent, "I learned to live this way. Not because I wanted to, but because I _had _to. I loved Antonio, and when he lost his job I was willing to give it all up for a better future. I guess that's just how life goes . . . never the way you want."

Rose sat next to her and took her hand. It was different for Rose not be the one being pitied for a change. The last few days onboard the Carpathia was constant sympathy for her, but now Rose felt like she could do something for someone else.

"You've got a good life here, Bella. You've got a man who loves you, a home, he has a job, you have your cooking skills! You're life is made."

"But it's not the life I wanted. I wanted to be somebody! I wanted to be rich one day and have a prince as my husband. I wanted to be bathing in money and showing off my fashion, not letting it gather dust up here for 4 decades!"

"Being rich isn't everything Bella, trust me." Bella looked at Rose curiously.

"I mean . . . I was on the Titanic for several and days and on the Carpathia for a few days also, and the way that 1st class act, not all of them, but most of them, it's revolting. Such disregard for people like us. I was called a drowned rat when I was on the brink of death! That's not the kind of way you want to go, looking down your nose at those less fortunate than you."

"But I wouldn't have become like that…"

"Trust me Bella, when a girl is brought up in that kind of environment, it becomes you're first nature. You don't know any better, and you do it to be accepted as part of the posh parade."

Bella looked at Rose, her face slightly less upset. "You really have experienced the way of 1st class before haven't you?"

Rose smiled and nodded. "I guess you could say that, yes."

Bella stood up, brushing her self off and cleared the lump in her throat. "Well my precious girl, I brought you up here to find you a dress, not let's have a look shall we?"

Rose giggled and nodded graciously.

"Just take those coats off and throw them down there." Mamma told her. Rose took off Robert's coat and folded it neatly, taking in the fragrant smell of his cologne, and then took off Cal's coat, suddenly remembering the necklace. She lay it down quietly. Bella turned round and saw the dress that Rose was wearing. The white material complimented her hour glass figure, and the pink and violet lace and ribbon that was tied around her mid section flowed gracefully down her back like wings.

"Is that yours?" Bella asked, admiring the art that Rose was wearing.

"Oh no, it belongs to someone I used to know. She was on the Carpathia and let me have it."

"Did she get off in New York?"

"No, I don't know where she is. Last time I saw her she was on the deck of the ship waving me goodbye."

"That was awfully nice of her to let you have it. I guess your other clothes must have been drenched?"

"You have no idea!" Rose laughed, the comment bearing more of a meaning than it sounded…

Bella held out her hand, directing Rose to the rows upon rows of colourful racks of clothes. "Take your pick, dear."

Rose walked forward in awe and took in the sight before her very eyes.

"If you'll be staying with us then you can wear these whenever you like."

Rose turned sharply and looked at Bella. "Really, you mean I can stay with you and Antonio?"

"We would be honoured. We have a spare room next to ours, and Robert lives just down the street so you two aren't far away from one another."

Rose smiled at the thought of being welcomed so warmly into someone's home within an hour of meeting them, and also the thought of being so close to Robert. She ran over to the friendly woman and hugged her tightly. Bella wrapped her arms around the teenager and closed her eyes, feeling the love that radiated from Rose. This was the start of a beautiful friendship.

Antonio and Robert sat at the dinner table, taking in the aroma of the cooking bolognaise in the kitchen. "Where's Mamma and Rose?" Robert asked, his stomach growling.

"Don't ask me, I think'a she's finally left me!" Antonio joked.

Just then, the door opened and Bella walked out, her face glowing with pride.

"Bella, Where'a have you been! This table was beginning to look more and more like a pizza the longer I waited!"

"Gentleman, I'd like you to meet, the new and improved, Miss Rose Dawson…"

She opened the door wider, and down the stairs a figure appeared from the shadows. Robert stood and watched as Rose walked into the room. He was speechless. Rose was wearing a tight red dress decorated with swirling golden lines. The dress itself hugged her body and stopped at her ankles, but moved freely as she walked. Its straps clung to her shoulders and showed off her flawless white skin, and around the low collar and the base of the dress were little material flowers. Her low collar showed something that pleased Pappa very much… Her striking ginger hair had been brushed and curled, making it fall wavily over her shoulders, and her fringe had been brushed out of her face, making her astounding beauty more visible to the astounded on lookers. Her eyelashes were long and black now with eyeliner to bring out her best feature, and her lips were a dark and sultry shade of red. She was wearing golden jewellery that was decorated with crimson beads and her necklace resembled a gold and red water fall of sparkles as it sat on her chest. She wore a pair of gold heels that matched the gold belt around her waist. She looked like a model herself, or an Italian heiress.

Pappa stood up and applauded her as she walked into the room. It was the shortest dress she had ever worn, but she loved it!

"You look'a like a princess Rosa!" he cheered, admiring her figure.

Robert got out of his set and stepped forward to take her hand and kiss it gently. He looked up into her eyes and smirked cheekily. "Nice to meet you, princess."

"Nice to meet you." She told him, talking in a fake snob voice. She felt like one million dollars! Even more than she did when she was 1st class. She looked down into Robert's eyes as they watched her smile intently, his handsome face just inches away from her hand, his silent breath tingling her skin.

"Shall we eat?" Bella asked, clapping her hands together with one swift movement. Rose was awakened from her trance, looking away from Robert's green hypnotizing pools of passion. She felt shaky, her brow hot and her hands still felt as if his hand was holding hers.

Antonio and Bella were sitting next to one another at one end of the rectangular table, allowing Robert and Rose to sit side by side. The plates of spaghetti bolognaise sat steaming in front of them all. Bella and Antonio began to eat as Robert and Rose played with the strings of pasta on their plates, making it dance around in the brown and red mixture that sat on top. Rose would see Robert look at her at the corner of her eye, and he in return would catch her looking back at him. Bella could see the two of them acting like children. Pappa was engrossed in the meal in front of him.

"So Rose, where will you be staying in New York?" Robert asked her, taking a sip of his wine.

Rose looked at Bella and said "Well, Bella and I were talking and it looks like I'll be staying here for a while."

Antonio almost choked on his pasta as Rose delivered this joyous news. He looked up at his wife, "You mean Rosa will be staying with us?" Bella nodded.

"Yes she will," she assured him, "But as a guest, not as your toy. I'll make sure you keep your hands to yourself even if I have to tie them up!"

He went back to his food, smiling cheekily. Robert looked at Rose, his eyes making her feel light headed. "That's fantastic! I live just a block away." She was simply delighted at how well things were going. "That means you can visit me whenever you like. My door's always open." She looked at him and he winked. This was turning out to be a very eventful evening…

Dinner was over and Bella was preparing the spare room for Rose. Antonio was sitting in his chair looking out the window at the rain that continued to fall. Robert was getting on his jacket and hat that Bella had brought down from the attic after they ate, remembering that it was still up there. Antonio offered to walk him downstairs, but Rose insisted. Bella understood why. They left the room and their footsteps grew quieter as they walked downstairs to the shop.

"She's a wonderful girl… the daughter I never had." Bella beamed as she collapsed on the sofa next to Pappa.

"That'a she is Mamma, that'a she is." He was reading the newspaper.

Bella looked at the front cover -

"**TITANIC SINKS IN 3 HOURS - Jacob Astor - DEAD, Madeline Astor - MAYBE"**

She couldn't believe that the poor girl had survived such a tragedy.

"You know not many 3rd class people got off the ship alive. She's one lucky person."

Antonio nodded, "It's a crime! What's a wrong with our lot?"

Bella shook her head, "God only knows. It's those 1t class lot. I blame them!"

There was a pause in their conversation as a clap of thunder ripped through the clouds above their apartment. The rain rattled off the window constantly.

"She likes him." Mamma told him.

"He likes her." Pappa told her.

"You think?"

"I know!"

"How come?" she asked curiously.

"He told me how he felt. She has a lot to offer him."

She sighed adoringly. She felt like a mother would after her daughter's met the first love of her life. "They would make a lovely couple. And they've only just met! That's what I call love."

"We got'a married a month after we met? Is that'a not love?" Antonio question her.

"No, that's called being stupid!"

"I'm not'a that bad!" He laughed.

"No, you're not . . . you're worse!"

They both look at one another and stared blankly for a minute, and then burst out laughing. After over 40 years of being married, they had learnt how to live with Bella's insults and Antonio's foolish business endeavours and scandalous affairs. They lived a grumpily happy life!

Robert and Rose got to the front door. She opened it for him and stood inside, not wanting to get Mamma's old outfit wet. He looked her up and down.

"You really do look amazing, Rose."

"Thank you, that's the 3rd time you've told me that." She teased.

"Sorry, I can't remember what I've said when I feel this way."

Rose moved slightly closer towards him. "How do you feel?"

Robert stepped into Rose's warmth. "I feel very attracted to you."

"Oh really?" she smiled audaciously. He leaned in, his eyes closed and his soft pink lips puckered. Rose was just about to lean in to him to, but she stopped herself. She pressed her finger against his lips. He opened his eyes, shocked slightly.

"What's wrong? Don't you feel the same?"

Rose couldn't lie, she did feel the same, but how could she? Jack had only just died and she thought she was in love with him. She was, but she couldn't move on so quickly. It didn't feel right. It felt like Jack was watching her and judging her.

"It just… doesn't feel right."

He was confused. "What do you mean?"

"I'll explain some other time. Goodnight Robert." And then she shut the door.

There was a storm of confusion boiling away in her head. She needed to put her old life as Rose DeWitt Bukater behind her is she wanted to succeed in living as Rose Dawson . . . Dawson? . . . Maybe that was the thing holding her back?


	6. Chapter 6 The Present

_The Present_

Rose couldn't sleep the first night in that apartment. It wasn't the bed. That was actually very comfortable. It was the sound of the cars outside zooming by every minute, although she wasn't used to it. And it wasn't the sound of Pappa snoring in the room next door, as loud as it was. No, it was her mind. Rose DeWitt Bukater was sitting in her brain nagging at her profusely.

"How could you do that to Jack? Did you not love him at all? Was he just a one night fling?"

And Rose Dawson was quick to fight back. "No he was not! I love him!"

"Oh, so you still love him? . . . Could have fooled me."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Well you've known that Robert person for a night and you're already flirting with him!"

Rose Dawson rolled over in her bed, fluffing the pillow crossly.

"I am not flirting with him!"

"You were so! And he was definitely flirting with you."

"He was not!"

"So what was that wink? Did a bit of dust get into his eye?"

"Possibly…"

"And then when he was about to kiss you? Was I mistaken then too?"

"Ah, but I stopped him!" Rose Dawson retorted sharply.

"Yes, but only because you felt guilty. If Jack didn't exist you would have been all over Robert like a bad rash!"

Rose put her pillow over her head to drown out the sound of the voices arguing in her head. She couldn't shut them up. She was wracked with guilt and still hurting, but also felt a desire to fulfil her passionate side. It was true, that first night was not easy.

The next morning was better. Rose opened her eyes, the morning sun shining brightly into her small but cosy room. The walls were painted crème and the floor was polished wood that looked like it hadn't been walked on in years. It was the only room in the house that really looked un-used. They mustn't have had many guest round to stay. Then Rose looked at the chair sitting by the door. There was a new pair of clothes folded neatly on the seat, a white blouse with a frilled collar and a long but casual black dress. She felt privileged to have met such a kind and motherly soul on her first night in a strange city. But she didn't want to impose on the friendly couple for too long. She had to think about getting a pace of her own. But that meant getting a job. Rose had never worked before. She hadn't really done anything for herself before. Maybe this wasn't going to be so easy…

"Rosa, Mamma and I were'a talking last night and we think you should come work for us downstairs, no?" Pappa informed her over breakfast.

Rose was flabbergasted. She had a job now. That was great, but what would it entail?

"And what would I have to do?" Rose asked inquisitively.

"Well, you would ask'a the customers for their orders, pour the drinks with me behind'a the bar, and serve the customers." He listed as he spread some butter over his toast.

"Is that all?" She asked, expecting there to be a catch.

"Yes, that's about it. I'll pay you one dollar a week. That should be enough, and a raise if you work'a well." He continued buttering his toast. He seemed to know what he was saying, like he had rehearsed it. Perhaps they had gone through a lot of staff?

"I would be delighted to work with you Antonio!" Rose told him truthfully.

"Please, please, call me Pappa. Everybody else does." He grinned widely, his moustache curving upwards.

"Okay then, Pappa… When do I start?"

"Tonight, about 7 o'clock. That's when the punters start to flood in."

Rose finished the last dribble of her tea and sat it in the sink, submerging it into the soapy water. "I'll be there!" She assured him, and walked out the door.

She walked through the shop and saw Mamma mopping the tiles. She looked contently happy with her duties. She looked up and saw Rose in her new attire.

"You look lovely! You'll blend right in with those people out there."

Rose twirled round, the long black dress spinning with her. Her hair was tied up behind her today in a bun. She never normally done that, but felt like doing something different for a change.

"Robert called round earlier."

Rose stopped, her heart began thumping a notch quicker. "Really?"

"Yes, he said to go over to his place about 11 o'clock this morning. He has a present for you."

Rose sighed with relief. He hadn't mentioned last night's moment of mixed emotion.

Mamma leaned against the mop and turned round to look at Rose. "Sounds like a date, huh?"

"Yes, it certainly does. Where does he live exactly?"

Mamma walked over to the door and opened it wide. A homeless looking man walked over to the shop. Mamma waved her arm out and shouted, "I'm not opening yet!" and the man walked off, disappointed. She put her arm round Rose and pulled her in, pointing to the skyline of the City. Rose followed the direction of her finger with her gaze and her eyes were met with a tall brown building with many windows and a dozen smoking chimneys on its roof.

"He lives there?" Rose analysed the building, unable to comprehend its size. It was rather huge. "_Although there must be a lot of people living in it, not just Robert_," she thought to herself.

"Yes, has done for the past 5 years. He's saving up to move to England. For some reason he'd love to go there. He says that the photography opportunities there pay more, but if you ask me I think he just wants to get away from..." Bella stopped.

Rose looked into her eyes. They were fearful. It was the first time Rose had seen nerves in Bella. "Away from what?" Rose asked in concern.

Bella was silent for a moment. Then she came back to earth. "From his boss... _Yes_, his boss. He doesn't like his boss… That's all."

Rose nodded. This boss of his mustn't have been a very nice person to make Robert want to leave the country. Rose looked at the clock above the bar. It was quarter to 11. She had to get going.

"I'd better go Bella, I'll be home before 7, don't worry."

"You don't need to be home early, darling. I'll give you no curfews!" Mamma laughed.

"Oh, I thought you knew. Pappa decided to give me a job in the bar." Rose was already walking out the door, admiring the blue sky above.

Bella applauded cheerily. "Oh good, He finally took my advice on something!"

"You told him to give me a job?"

"Well yes, I think you'll be a great asset to our business."

Rose waved goodbye to her, "I'll do my best, Bella." And then she was off, into the great hustle and bustle that was New York City.

Horse drawn carriages raced past the attractive red head as she crossed the road, gazing up at the towering buildings that reached to the nearly cloudless sky. There were many people walking the streets, up and down, here and there, all knowing exactly where they were and where they were headed. Rose barely knew where she was going. She kept here sights focused on Robert's apartment block that was nestled among the tall structures. Just then, as she was halfway across the road, she heard a noise. She saw a little yellow automobile driving slowly down the road. The white and black chequered pattern running along its doors and its shockingly bright exterior would catch anyone's attention. But Rose then realized that there were many of these yellow vehicles going in every direction. She couldn't understand why there were so many.

After about 5 minutes she reached the front doors of the apartment block. She didn't know whether to knock or simply walk in. She heard a noise above her and looked up just in time to see a window open. Robert leaned out the window about 6 floors up and shouted, "Just come up!"

Rose opened the door and walked into the entrance of the building. It was quite dull, duller than she expected. The walls were grey and the floor was a basic wooden finish. There was then the broken light that dangled precariously above her head, its wires exposed. Rose walked forward and saw a spiralling staircase that went up and up and up, passing each floor as it went. She heard the sound of footsteps on one of the upper floors, followed by raised voices.

"I told you what I was gonna do!" A very New York sounding female voice shouted angrily. Then there was a door slamming that made Rose jump.

"But with him! Are you out of your mind? He's half the man I am!"

A man wearing a suit ran down the stairs. The suit didn't look expensive, but it done the job of dressing him at least. A woman wearing a towel followed him down, her piece of material almost doing its job.

"Do you want me to make a living!" she yelled as she chased after the man.

"Yeah, but I also want a woman to go to bed with at night!"

"You can, just when I'm done working babe. You know how it is." Her voice tried to calm him, but her efforts failed.

"I'll kill him! You know he's a no good little bastard!" he threatened as he reached the entrance hall where Rose stood silently.

"But honey, look." The woman brought out a bundle of money from her cleavage, her eyes lighting up.

"Did you make all that from just this week?" The man hesitated about going out the door.

"Yeah baby, and there's more where that came from." She began to walk back up the stairs, her man quick to follow. Their playful giggles faded up the stairs and were silenced with the shutting of the door.

Rose was confused by what she had just seen. What was the woman doing with this mystery man to annoy her own man so much? And how could she make that much money in a week? It was a hefty looking pile of green that she had.

"Rose!" A voice called down the stairs.

She looked up the spiralling staircase and saw Robert racing down, two steps at a time. For the last half of the decent he sat on the metal railing and slid down, circling round and round until his feet landed on the floor in front of Rose.

"You look ravishing!" He said, panting faintly.

"You think?"

"Sure, although I don't think it matters what you wear."

Rose could feel her cheeks burning. How could he do this to her? He could say a sentence and make her feel faint.

"So, how would you like to see New York?"

"I would love that!" Rose told him excitedly. She had heard so many great things about the City, and really was only coming on the Titanic to get the train through to Philadelphia the next day. She would never have got the chance to see it's grandeur and all the wonders it had to offer.

He linked arms with the girl standing before him, looking simple yet attractive in her toned down attire compared to last night's stunning display of crimson material and elegant beauty. Together they ran out of the building and into the street. They both looked happy compared to everyone else. The city ran like clock work. Everyone knew what they were doing, where and when. But these two youngsters looked around excitedly for a whoosh of yellow.

Robert whistled and held out a thumb. The taxi cab came to a halt on the road in front of them and they both hopped in.

"Where to, kids?" The fat and sweaty looking man in the driver's seat asked, looking into his rear view mirror at Rose and Robert.

Rose looked at Robert expectantly, full of enthusiasm. "Where to Mr Marshall?" she asked in a hushed voice, trying to impersonate the man's New York accent.

Robert laughed loudly and said, "Central Park my good man!"

Rose sat back and thought to herself. A park? It must be a park of importance surely if they were going there?

The cabby nodded obediently and started up the car again. With a rattle of the engine and a puff of smoke from the exhaust the brightly coloured car started off for its destination.

The taxi stopped about 15 minutes later, during which time Robert had pointed out passing buildings and told Rose about them. Once the vehicle stopped Robert jumped out. Rose waited for the driver to get out and open her door to help her out, but she realized that wouldn't happen so much nowadays and she got out herself.

"Here we are Rose!" Robert stretched out his arms and spun around, looking at the endless field of green with its many trees and differently designed bridges, arching over ponds and lakes of all sizes. The park was surrounded by a fortress of tall buildings that scraped the sky, some of them only half built with the scaffolding exposed like a metal skeleton of what was to come. Rose had never seen a park of such magnitude! It was more of a tame forest. She ran to Robert's side and looked at the scenery that his eyes were admiring also.

"It's magnificent!" Rose exclaimed, clapping her hands. She grabbed Robert's hand and ran off with him towards one of the lakes. They reached it and looked into the crystal clear surface, their reflections glittering in the New York sunlight. She looked up and saw a bridge that lead over this body of water. Its framework was so elegant, with Parisian looking patterns of swirling steel flowers and shapes intertwining between the rails of the bridge. It reminded Rose of a bridge she once had in a painting by Monet, but she lost that when . . .

Robert took Rose's hand and walked with her over to the bridge. She elegantly stepped onto it and felt Robert's secure grip guiding her along. She looked at his face. He was so handsome. He had such a brilliant smile that showed off his perfectly white teeth. Rose admired his manners and warmth. He was just what Rose needed right now.

"That was fantastic!" Rose told Robert as she licked her fingers, adoring the taste left behind. "What was it?"

"A hot dog." Robert grinned.

Rose stopped in her tracks. "A hot dog?"

"It's not really a dog, it's a pig."

"Oh… well that's alright then."

Robert laughed. "You really haven't seen the world Rose, have you?"

"Not as much of it as I'd like to see. I've been. . . held back I guess you could say."

Robert sat down on the grass beneath him. Rose looked at him in curiosity, and then did as he did. She felt the soft emerald blades of grass beneath her hands and loved the feeling of it. She had never really sat on the ground as a young lady before. There was a lot of stuff she hadn't done, it was true, but hopefully that would all change.

Robert looked at Rose seriously for a moment. "Rose… can I ask you something?"

She looked back at him and smiled softly. "Of course you can."

"Will you… ever…"

"Will I ever eat another hot dog? Yes!" She joked.

"No, no… I mean, I'm glad you will, but that's not what I was gonna ask. I was wondering if you'd ever go on a boat again."

Rose looked away for a moment and thought about this. It had been days now, but the experience on that ship as it sank from under her and all those other people terrified her, even now. However, she had to move on with her life, and not every ship would sink. She had to think about the present and not the past if she hoped to move onto her future. She turned to look at him with a strong expression, trying not to think about why he would ask the question, of course she knew…

"Yes… I would… why?"

Robert smiled sweetly and took her hand. "I'm happy to hear that, because you said you wanted to see New York, and I'm gonna show you New York!"


	7. Chapter 7 The City at Sunset

The City at Sunset

As Rose sat in that cab yet again, she thought about the odds. Not every boat that she stepped foot upon would sink, that was for sure, and she was moving on in life, and going on a boat trip would be part of that recovery process. It reminded Rose of her cousin Beatrice. Beatrice was positively terrified of clowns. Rose found it hilarious, but her mother and Aunt found it embarrassing and tried to keep it a secret from their rich friends. And then, one sunny summers day, the circus came to Philadelphia and Rose couldn't wait to go on all the rides and get a balloon animal off of the clown, but Beatrice refused to go, so Rose took her behind the stage of the clown show after he had done his performance and had Mr Bubbles the clown sit down with her cousin. After half an hour of chatting away and telling silly jokes and stories Beatrice didn't care that this man's face was painted white with thick black eye brows painted on like caterpillars and a shiny red nose. She even gave him a big hug when she had to go, and Rose was very proud of herself for helping her little cousin overcome her fear. And that was what she had to do now. She had to confront any obstacles if she wanted to overcome them.

"Looks like we'll have a nice sunset, Rose." Robert said cheerily looking out the window and up at the orange and pink sky, that was blazing with a yellow glow behind the tall building passing by.

"We always got a marvellous sunset on the Titanic." Rose replied, reminiscing. "We were right in the middle of nowhere with just endless blue water and the shining sun disappearing in the distance, eventually leaving us on-lookers up on deck with the dark sky of a starry night."

Robert looked in her eyes, very thoughtful, as if staring at the image at the present moment. "That sounds beautiful."

She came back to reality and shook away the face she could see in her mind. "He was… ehm, sorry… _it _was! . . . It was beautiful."

Robert and Rose sat in silence in that little vehicle as it drove through the mazes of towers and structures around them, staring up at the evening sky. The further they drove, the more of the ocean Rose could see through the gaps in the buildings. Eventually, the buildings grew less and less until the cab drove up to a harbour. The same harbour from a few nights before.

"That's us here kids!" The driver called. Robert leaned over and handed him some money. He then got out and walked around to Rose's side of the taxi and opened her door, taking her hand gently. She smiled and stepped out gracefully, feeling almost… 1st class again.

"This way, Rose." He held out his arm. Rose looked at it, then looked at his charming face. She ignored his arm and never linked arms with him, instead she clasped her hands in his, intertwining their fingers. He looked surprised, but happy never the less.

"I hope you don't mind?" She asked teasingly.

"Of course not…" He leaned in closer. "I've been waiting for you to hold my hand, since I can't get a kiss."

Rose leaned in a little closer. "Maybe I'll change my mind… if you're lucky." They both grinned widely, their eyes inches from one another's, the seeds of desire already there, but not yet grown.

Robert lead the way down to a small ferryboat. There was already a man at the wheel. Robert really had this all planned out. Rose felt spoiled. Who'd have thought being 3rd class could have so many advantages? They walked up the gangway and onto the boat deck. The man came over with a bucket of ice holding a bottle of champagne and two glasses. Robert took them and thanked him. The sailor winked cheekily, looking Rose up and down.

"Champagne?" Robert asked, holding up the bottle.

Rose held out a glass. "Don't mind if I do."

He poured them both out a glass as below them the sound of the ships machinery starting up rumbled, the scenery around them moving away as the vessel started off. The tall towers and buildings of New York where black silhouettes against the heavenly shine of the sunset. Everything seemed to radiate a bright orange glow under the setting of the yellow globe in the pink sky. Robert's handsome and rugged features were half shaded in shadow, highlighting his stunning bone structure in his face. He was attractive enough to be a model, or an actor, Rose thought, not the person _behind_ the camera. And Rose herself looked divine. Her flawless features were highlighted with a soft yellow glow from the sun by her side. Her neatly tied up hair taking on an almost fiery quality with the shades of amber, gold and red. The ferryboat was picking up speed and was further out in the water around the City now. Everything looked so breathtaking. The sun had shrouded everything in shadow, but gave it a glimmering outline as it lowered into the sea.

"You know something Rose… I know nothing about you."

"I could say the same thing about you."

"What do you want to know?"

Rose shrugged her shoulders gently and moved over slightly to be nearer him. "I don't know… I guess we could start with likes and dislikes." She joked.

Robert chuckled. "Likes and dislikes? Starting on basic conversations are we?"

"I'll tell you something that I like."

"What?"

Rose reached up and rested her chin on his shoulder until her lips were pressed against his ear. "You…"

He looked at her, analysing her wonderful face. She stared at him admiringly. He leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers, staring into her twinkling blue eyes, their faces so close. "I like you too Rose… a lot."

"And I know nothing about you Robert Marshall, not much anyway, but I don't mind… because I know that I want to be near you." She took his hands and held them to her face, closing her eyes. He took a hand a stroked her face lovingly.

"And I know nothing at all about you Rose Dawson… you're a stranger to me… but I always get a goof feeling about people… And I've got a great feeling about you."

Their faces were so near and finally gave into temptation, and their lips touched for the firs time. Rose didn't want to pull away, and Robert kissed her more passionately than anyone had ever kissed Rose before. His hands stroked her face and her fingers ran through his hair. She couldn't stop, not even for air. His tongue intertwined with hers and their lips continued to smother the others lips. The sun shone upwards from behind the shadow of the New York skyline and slowly but surely faded into blackness, but the burning desire between the young pair on the ferryboat failed to end. The seeds of desire had burst into a forest of passion now… And Rose liked it.


	8. Chapter 8 Was it Love?

It was dark now, and the cities bright lights and zooming cars had come to life. Robert walked Rose back to the bar below Mamma and Pappa's flat. There was a roaring crowd inside, all singing and dancing, clinking glasses and laughing. It was ten o'clock, and Rose was supposed to start at seven, but Mamma will have told Papa about the date with Robert. And besides, Pappa looked quite content and in control behind the bar, talking to all his punters and serving them with foamy glasses of beer.

"Here we are." Robert said as they got into the light of the glowing window.

"Thank you for a wonderful day, Robert. I had a lovely time." They stood facing each other, holding hands and gazing adoringly at the person in front of them.

"Well… I guess I'd better go in, I'm already 3 hours late for my first day on the job!" Rose laughed.

Robert leaned forward and kissed her again before whispering, "Do you have to go?"

"Unfortunately I do. I would like to get into the swing of this whole waitress thing."

"You'll make a great waitress, Rose." He looked down at their hands, still clasped securely. "I don't want to let go... and if I had a choice… I'd never let go."

The words to him meant nothing of great importance, simply the fact that he loved holding hands with Rose and didn't want to part, but to Rose, those words brought back painful memories. She pulled away abruptly and walked into her new home, the tears already streaming down her face. Robert was left standing there, alone and confused.

"Rosa! You're a little late, but that's okay, I've managed!" Shouted Pappa, laughing heartily through the mobs of drunks. But Rose ran straight up the stairs, oblivious to everything around her. Pappa knew something was wrong.

She burst through the door of the upstairs apartment, tears streaming down her face, struggling to catch her breath. Mamma was sitting on the couch reading a book when she saw the girl. Rose fell to her knees and sobbed uncontrollably. Bella raced over and wrapped her arms around Rose and cradled her.

"Oh my dear, Rose. Whatever's the matter?" Asked Bella in concern, but Rose couldn't speak.

"Was it Robert?" she asked, but Rose shook her head, trying to get a breath, but no air could get past the lump in her throat.

"C'mon Rose, it alright, just take a deep breath, c'mon, I'll take you over to the couch." Mamma helped her up and led her to a seat. Rose sat down, her tear stained face looking shattered.

"Now, just take your time, and tell em what's eating ya." She put a hand under Rose's chin and raised her head. "I hate seeing you like this my little cherub."

"I hate myself!" Rose managed to muster up the strength to speak.

"I'll have no such thing said under this roof! What on Earth's made you say that?"

"I've let him down… I've let him go… I've done this all wrong!"

"Let who down? What have you let go of darling?"

Rose looked up at Bella, her eyes filled with pain and anguish. "I kissed Robert."

Mamma smiled and nudged her. "Hey, that's not so bad for a first date! On mine and Antonio's first date he wanted to shake my hand at the end of the night. I felt insulted." Rose laughed slightly.

"That's more like it. Now that's not the problem, is it?" Rose shook her head.

"I kissed Robert, and he kissed me, and I feel like I'm moving on too fast."

"Moving on from what?"

"I'm moving on from Jack."

"Jack? Who's Jack?"

Rose hadn't talked to anyone about him. Now was the time. Bella was like the mother Rose had always wanted. She felt she could confide in her. "His name is… _was_, Jack Dawson. I met him on the Titanic. He was so kind, and handsome, and considerate, and he helped me through some difficult times. I only knew him for several days, but in that time I feel in love with him… but when the ship sank we went down with it…"

"He never made it?" Bella stroked Rose's hair comfortingly.

"He took me over to a floating chunk of wood and helped me onto it… but it would only hold one of us, so he stayed in the water and stayed by my side. Everyone was screaming and shouting in fear and agony… the water was so cold… I could hear a baby crying through all the noise… and after a while there was silence."

Bella was listening intently. Tears building up in her eyes.

"I saw a boat that had come back for survivors… I told Jack, but he was sleeping… or so I thought… He never did wake up." The tears began to fall from both of their eyes. "I had to leave him behind in that huge, dark, cold ocean with all those other dead bodies… And I was saved."

"But that's a good thing. You survived! You can't feel guilty for living."

"I feel guilty about kissing Robert. I love Jack, I still love him, but I feel like I need to move on because he's dead, but I'm starting to really like Robert, and I feel like it's all going so fast."

Bella wiped her eyes with her apron and wiped away Rose's tears with her finger. "Well… It's a difficult situation to be in my sweetheart… but you need to do what you feel is right… and it's only been a few days since the sinking, yes… but you can't dwell in the past. You've got your whole life ahead of you, and would Jack want you to feel guilty for moving along with the world?"

Rose thought for a second before answering this question. "I made him a promise… just before he died… I promised him that I would get out of the water, and I would go on and have children and watch them grow up… and that I would die an old lady, warm in her bed."

"And you're already starting to fulfil that promise. You've met Robert, and you both seemed to hit it off."

"But it's so sudden… Jack's only been dead a while… and I've only known Robert for a few days."

"But deary… You only knew Jack for a few days too."

Mamma was right, and Rose knew it. "How do you know what love is?"

"Well, it's just a feeling you get, like when you know that a hungry lion is dangerous or a crying baby is hungry… It's just a natural feeling to someone, and you know when you can feel it… but you have to be careful about when you say it… And be careful not to get loved mixed up with just liking someone a lot."

"I told Jack that I loved him…"

"And did you… do you?"

"I'm only a teenager, Bella… How do I know what love is? What if I was just saying it?"

"What do you mean?"

"I told him I loved him when I thought I was dying… Was that the right thing to do?"

"Did you feel it was the right time to tell him?"

"If I didn't tell him then he'd never know I really felt… but…"

"But what?"

Rose sat upright, thinking intensely, looking hurt. "He never said it back…"

"He was weak Rose, he…"

Rose interrupted her. "No, he was strong enough to tell me to move on and forget about him, but he never told me that he loved me."

"What age was he?"

"Only a year older than me."

"Okay, he was 18 years old… maybe he wasn't ready for such a commitment… like I said, maybe he just liked you a lot… I'm not saying he didn't love you, but he was only a kid really."

"When did you know that you loved Antonio?"

"I told him I loved him months after we first met, and he felt the same and told me so, but I was cautious and got to know him very well before I knew how I felt for sure."

"Maybe you're right… Maybe I was just being naïve... It had only been a few days. I was prepared to run off with him."

"He sounds like he was a lovely boy, but Rose, you've got a second chance at life, and you can start living your life to the full and searching for Mr Right who _will_ love you back. Don't let the past hold you back. If I let my past as a rich model hold me back I wouldn't be willing to move into a dingy flat with a middle class slob like Pappa!"

It amazed Rose how similar her and Mamma were. Rose couldn't let her past of being a wealthy 1st class socialite hold her back from starting a new life in the lower classes of The Big Apple. And if Jack didn't even love her, why shouldn't she start seeing Robert? Rose's head was spinning with thoughts she had never even considered thinking, but she was glad that they were in her mind now. It gave her a realistic perspective on this new life of hers. She stood up and gave Mamma a big hug and whispered, "_Thank you_" In her ear, before heading off to her bedroom.

Before she shut the door Mamma had something to say, "But Rose…"

Rose turned round, "Yes?"

"I would still keep that promise… It's a good promise to keep."

Rose smiled and nodded, "I guess it is…" and she shut the door on Bella's sitting room, and the way she used to think of her 'beloved' Jack Dawson…


	9. Chapter 9 Working Man's Pleasure

After the conversation with Mama, Rose felt so confused. She thought she loved Jack, and she knew she liked Robert, when only days before she was utterly in love with her deceased affair and didn't think much of her New York friend. Was it Rose's age which was causing her to be so rebellious and foolish with love, or was she trying to find the romance she never had with Cal, or was she just bored. So many questions were racing through her mind, and the harder she tried to ignore them, the louder they became, and the more they multiplied. She tossed and turned in that bed of hers, kicking off the covers and moving her pillow around, trying to find comfort. The bed itself was cosy and soft, but tonight she felt the desire to fall back into a four poster bed and sink into the luxury of silk quilts and heavenly pillows stuffed with goose feathers. Although that was something she would probably never experience again. She had been lying in bed for hours, listening to the world outside still wide awake, much like her. She closed her eyes and saw Jack, she opened her eyes and saw where she was and thought of Robert. Nowhere in her mind was safe from her troubles. She jumped out of bed and got dressed, threw on a trench coat and headed out, through the dark living room, walking carefully down the stairs and finally exiting the bar, locking the door behind her. She needed some air, as smoke filled as it was.

The nightlife of New York amazed Rose. It seemed that this City never slept, Philadelphia was nothing like this. Rose always thought that Philly had hustle and bustle, but then she experienced The Big Apple! She walked across the road, finding it easier to cross than before now that the automobiles were far fewer. She scanned her surroundings. Dark streets illuminated by bright shop windows and dull car headlights. Rose got to the other end of the road and stopped, closed her eyes and inhaled the crisp night air, a cool breeze playing with her curly hair. The sky was dimly lit by stars, but the smoke pouring from the chimneys was clear. She hadn't realized this before, but she always took in small, almost minute details about her surroundings. She had a vivid memory. She always did. She could tell you a day of her life from when she was 10 without trouble. It was a talent she had always had, but ever since Jack's "Make it count" speech at dinner, she found herself observing life in a more in depth manner, and trying to capture moments in her mind, in the hope they wouldn't, because it's as Jack said, "I reckon life's a gift and I don't intend on wasting it" Well Rose wasn't going to waste it!

She took off running; she had no idea why, perhaps because the streets were practically empty so no one was in her way, or maybe she just wanted to remind herself that she still had enormous stores of energy just waiting to be released. All her life she was like a little clockwork doll that was constantly being wound up more and more every day, and the key was being turned round and round until it reached its limit, the toy almost broke, almost fell apart, but an artists hands pieced it back together, and now that key had been released, the clockwork doll was off like a shot! She kept running, not knowing where she was going or even where she was, but she felt so free. It didn't matter. She couldn't hear her mother crowing at her like an old hen, screeching, "Rose, stop this childish behaviour at once!" no… there was no one… just Rose… the new Rose… and she loved it this way!

She came across a bar about half an hour later, after running for five minutes and resting on a bench for another quarter of an hour, watching the stars. The bar was called, "Working Man's Pleasure" . . . Rose assumed it was talking about alcohol, something her taste buds would appreciate after that work out. She opened the door, which creaked, almost eerily, and walked into a smoky room, not a bar at all. There were several doors which lead off from this hall, being lit with an occasionally flickering bulb. Just then, Rose noticed several men sitting in chairs, smoking cigars. By her side was a desk covered with papers, and a woman sitting behind it. She was in a waiting room of sorts, the most unattractive waiting room she had seen, but a waiting room none the less. She suddenly noticed that both these men were staring at her up and down, almost drooling. She walked over to the desk and leaned forward, before quietly asking the woman, "What is this place? I thought it was a bar, but I feel I'm mistaken."

The woman looked almost threatened by Rose's well spoken manner and politeness, and then laughed out loud when Rose was finished. "A bar? Are you serious? Well you obviously aren't a local, honey!" The two men laughed also when they heard the woman's remark.

Rose blushed slightly and asked, "Well, I'm sorry to have intruded, I'll go."

Just as she turned around one of the gentlemen stood and grabbed Rose by the waist as she walked by. He spun her around and she saw a man, in his late 40s perhaps, with salt and pepper hair, grey trousers and a white shirt, unbuttoned greatly, revealing a hair covered chest. He leaned in close to Rose, "Oh what a shame, you gotta go now? I thought you worked here." He grinned and winked, trying to seduce her. He failed, as Rose shoved him off and backed away.

"I most certainly do not, I don't even know what this establishmentis." The lady behind the desk walked out and signalled for Rose to follow her. "C'mon then sweetie, I'll show ya."

Rose dodged out between the two men, feeling their beer ridden breath panting on her face. She followed the woman across the room to a door. "My name is Martha by the way." She held out a hand. Rose was pleased to see some decency and she took her hand. "My name is Rose."

Martha smiled and replied, "Rose, huh? That's a pretty name… you would fit right in here, what with your looks, your name…"

"What is 'here' exactly?" Rose questioned.

"Ah, well, take a look in here. Normally we get quite a few customers around this hour, when men's wives are sleeping and the girls come out to play." As she spoke, she walked further towards this particular door with a "DO NOT DISTURB" sign on it, placed her hand on the knob, and turned it slowly. "Take a look, Rose…"

Rose looked at Martha, who was smiling innocently, then to the door, which was a jar, she looked inside, not knowing what to expect, and was shocked by what she saw. In the room lay a mattress, no bed, just a mattress, and no furniture, just a lamp in the corner of the room, and on the mattress lay a man… and a girl… The rest need not be explained. Rose quickly back away from the door.

"You look shocked. You never seen sex before?"

Rose was speechless for a second. "Not in such a way as that… is that a…"

"Threesome? Yup. We get requests for them quite a lot."

Rose just stared at the floor, embarrassed. "And do they pay to use this building?"

"Well, they're not just using the building… the girl you saw in there, her name is Coco, well, we call her that, and she works for us, and that's what the men pay for."

"They pay for… her?"

"Mmhmm… Rose, it really is harmless. They're just having fun. And we are also a safe haven for the gays of New York… they really are frowned upon ya know." She took Rose by the hand and began walking over to her desk, "We're good people, and it's a good place, really… it's just a misunderstood place, that's all."

"Well… I wish you all the best of luck with this, and I'll see you around." Rose turned around and walked out the door hurriedly, but not before one of the men grabbed her behind, causing her to jump. She ran out into the street in horror, hearing them laughing from inside the building. She couldn't believe what she had just seen. She had heard her mother talking to her friends about the hellish dwellings of prostitutes, and the bars that allowed such activities to happen, but never did she think she would witness it.

She headed off in the direction from which she had come, or so she thought, when she suddenly realized she was utterly lost. She couldn't believe that a girl, possibly as young as 17 would be participating in such acts with strange men. She just wanted to get back to the apartment and sleep, try to sleep anyway. Sleeping wasn't the easiest of tasks since the Titanic sank. Just then, as Rose was walking past a dark alleyway, she was startled to hear an ear-piercing scream. She stopped and looked around. There was no one. She looked into the alleyway. Complete blackness. She couldn't just keep walking. Leaving someone behind when they are in trouble was something Rose could not do. On the Titanic she risked her life attempting to save a little boy from a flooding hallway. So she cautiously walked closer to the dark gap between these two buildings and jumped with fright when she heard a female voice screaming, "Someone help me!" she wasted no time and ran into the shadows, round a corner, and into an opening, filled with trash cans and a dim streetlamp. A vent on the wall was breathing out smoke like a dragon, guarding his dark cave. Through the smoke, she saw 2 figures, a woman laying on the ground and a man standing over her, his hand raised into a fist. The man got to his knees and hovered over the girl, who was being held by the throat.

"So you think you can play me you little bitch?" He spat into her face.

The girl tried to speak, but let out a whimper as his hold grew tighter. Rose was terrified. She looked to her side and saw a brick laying on the ground. She picked it up and was about to throw it when she realized her aim was not very good. He sat it back down.

"If I give you five bucks I expect to get my money's worth!" The man hissed in her blue face.

Rose had no choice. She picked up the brick and threw it. It brushed his shoulder, causing him to let go of the girl and stand up. The girl backed away behind a group of trash cans, gasping for air.

"Who the fuck was that?" The man yelled in rage.

Rose sat quietly in the shadows, then heard his footsteps draw nearer.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" he walked forward again. Rose could see his feet. Just as he began to walk forward again Rose kicked the trashcans and the all rolled over in a mass avalanche of rubbish and metal. The man tripped over them and feel face first into the concrete, the pyramid of trash cans falling onto him loudly. Rose jumped up and ran past him and ran over to the girl.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Was that you?" the girl asked, taking Rose's hand.

Rose didn't answer and ran with the girl out of the alleyway. They kept running until the got out into the lights of the street. Rose stopped and looked at the girl's face. She had a bloody nose and a bruised eye. But Rose recognized her. Where had she seen her?

"Did he do this to you?" Rose asked, brushing her hair back from her face. The girl nodded.

"Why?"

"Because I wasn't doing as he asked."

Rose closed her eyes and sighed. "You weren't selling yourself, were you?"

"What has it got to do with you?" The girl pulled away defensively.

"Nothing really, but if you are… is it really worth being punched about for?"

"I gotta make money somehow."

"Get a job."

"This is a job! It's the only job I can get! I make good money each night!"

"Is the money you're making worth the cost you're paying?"

The girl was silent and looked away, almost in shame. Then, Rose remembered where she had seen this young, fresh faced girl before. In Robert's apartment block, arguing with a man, talking about making a large sum of money. Rose understood how she made it now.

"Come one… I'll walk you home." Rose put an arm around the girl comfortingly. At first, she almost pulled away, but when she felt Rose's true warmth, she didn't resist.

"My name's Emma… but they call me Emmanuelle."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Well I shall call you Emma… because that's your name, not your tag."

They walked, and the more they walked, the more Rose remembered where she was. They were getting nearer to the apartment when Emma turned to Rose and asked,

"How do you know where I live?"

Rose laughed quietly, "I saw you earlier today, in the big apartment across from Antonio's bar."

"I love that Antonio guy, he's so sweet."

"He really is… He and Bella have taken me in, because I have nowhere else to go."

"You new here?"

"Very new indeed… I wasn't meant to be staying long, but… things changed."

Emma detected a sad tone in Rose's voice. "What things?"

Rose looked down at the young girl, so pretty, with strong green eyes and long brown hair that complimented her flawless pale skin.

"Nothing really… just… I was meant to be going to Philadelphia… and it turned out I didn't"

"Why didn't you go?"

"Because there's nothing for me there… not anymore."

"How so?"

Rose chuckled happily, "You really do ask a lot of questions, don't you?"

"I guess I do… I'm just getting to know you." She smiled cheekily.

"Well… I have family there… and we don't really talk anymore… and if I'm to be perfectly honest, it's best that I never talk to them again." It hurt Rose to say this out loud, because she did love her mother, but it was for the best. As far as Ruth DeWitt Bukater was concerned, her one and only daughter was dead.

"Did you do something wrong?"

She shook her head. "No… I didn't do anything wrong… I just fell in love with the wrong person… and they didn't like that… because they wanted me to love someone else."

"Well that's shit! You can't help who you fall in love with, and your family should allow you to love who you want… you should follow your heart, don't listen to others... Your life is your own to do want you want with… So grab it with both hands and go wild!"

"You know what Emma… you are one hundred percent correct… that is what I need to do."

Neither of them noticed it, but they had reached Emma's apartment block already. The two stood by the entrance under the lamp above the door.

"Emma… earlier when I saw you… you were arguing with a man on the landing…"

"Oh… that's my boyfriend, Ross… he can be a jerk sometimes."

"I know the feeling…" she thought about Cal. "Is he alright with what you do?" Rose asked, signalling to the lump of money in her purse.

"Sometimes…unless he knows the guy I've slept with… but it's a job, and when he sees the green he don't care what I do."

"What will he have to say about the beating you got?"

Emma scoffed, "Probably not much."

"He doesn't sound like a very good boyfriend." Rose added casually.

"Well, it's like I said… you can't help who you fall in love with." And with that, Emma had turned around and headed towards the door. Before she went inside, she turned around and said one final thing to the red headed heroine who saved her life.

"In my line of work, you learn something… that no matter what, all men are the same, in one way… They want a bit of action… Whether they're rich, poor or middle class, they all want a bit of fun after a hard days work… and Rose, all us women are, is a working man's pleasure… They can tell us they love us, give us flowers, they can do all the romantic stuff… but when you're back is turned… their true colours show."

Rose nodded, taking in what she had said. "Well I believe not all men are the same… I like to think I've found the exception."

"I hope you're right… That's why us girls gotta stick together."

Rose nodded, and waved, turning her back to start walking home, when she heard, "Oh, and Rose!"

She turned around, "Yes, Emma?"

"Thank you." And the door shut gently.

She smiled, feeling that she had done something good tonight. What started off as a midnight stroll ended in making a new acquaintance in the most unfortunate of events. But Rose hoped that Emma was wrong about all men being the same, and women just being "A working man's pleasure"… Robert was different… wasn't he?


	10. Chapter 10 Thoughts

It had been a few months now since that fateful night, and Rose was enjoying her new life in New York. She kept working as a waitress in "Antonio's Amazing Ale's," and she loved it. However, she was asked to work a few blocks away (where the streets became cleaner, wider and brighter) in an upper class restaurant. The man who asked her came into Antonio's bar for a drink, but when he saw Miss Dawson serving pints and socializing with the rowdy men around her, he knew he had to have her onboard. At first she wasn't sure about it, but Bella and Antonio insisted that she went. Bella knew that Rose was good at her job, and she lured in customers like a moth to a flame, so it only made sense for the teenage beauty to show off her skills for a higher wage. Bella wanted only the best for the daughter she never had. And as for Robert, well, Robert and Rose had become inseparable. Days for Rose were spent taking orders and collecting dirty dishes at "Le Petit De'jeneur" and thinking about Robert. Her nights were spent sleeping next to Robert and thinking about Jack. She couldn't help but think about him. Although now when she thought of him, she didn't feel sorrow. She felt content, for she was starting to fulfil the promise she made to him. Robert was still planning on moving to England, and Rose wasn't sure if she would be going with him or not. He had not mentioned it to her. It was only because of Mamma telling her that she knew. He had been packing up his things, and Rose assumed one of two things: Either he was going to take her with him and make it a surprise when he asked her to go… or he was going to sneak away during the night without her knowing and leave her behind… she didn't want to be heartbroken again, there's only so much the heart can take, and Rose's heart of ice had only just began to thaw. She understood that he wanted to make more money by going over to London to become a full time photographer and journalist, but why was he being so secretive about it? Rose didn't want to ask him. She wasn't too sure if their relationship had gotten to the stage of opening up and being paranoid about things. And as always, when things were troubling Rose, she went to the one and only person she could talk to about this kind of stuff, and who she could rely on and trust:

"Bella, could I ask you something?" She stood by the living room door, almost shyly. Bella's huge personality soon made Rose feel less uncomfortable about what she was going to ask. "Of course you can, Rosa! Come in and sit."

Rose walked in and shut the door, taking in the smell of Mamma's home made spaghetti bolognaise. Her mouth was already watering. "Bella… you remember when you told me about Robert… wanting to move away to London?" She sat down next to Bella who was on the worn out sofa.

"Yes, I remember." she smiled at Rose happily, drying her hands on her apron.

"Well… he's been a little bit odd lately."

"Odd how?"

"I'm not sure… well, we always come back here together, and sleep here together, and not once in the few months I've been here has he took me home to his place once."

Bella laughed and waved a hand dismissively. "Oh Rosa my darling, don't you worry. He's a man. He's probably too ashamed of the mess in his apartment to take you back to his place."

"Well, that's the thing… it's not just that he won't take me back to his place, but it looks as if he won't be going back to his place either."

Bella's smile dropped slightly and her tone became slightly more serious, "What do you mean?"

"His furniture is outside the back alleyway behind his apartment block. That homeless man has taken up permanent residence on his sofa and a family of pigeons have a brilliant home in his chest of drawers… I suppose he's planning on buying more furniture once he arrives in London…travelling lightly I suppose." She lowered her head, remembering again that he had not even mentioned it to Rose.

Bella sensed the sadness in her voice and the look in her eyes, and at once she had attacked Rose with her big, warm embrace, holding the young red head to her bosom lovingly. Mamma stroked her hair and comforted her. "Well I'm sure he's not planning on leaving without you. Perhaps he's just forgotten." Even Bella didn't believe herself.

"How could he forget to tell me that he's about to move away to the other side of the world? It's not exactly something that just slips your mind." Rose pulled away from Bella and jumped up, racing over to the living room window almost angrily. "I've been with him plenty of times, and expected him on half of those occasions to tell me, and yet I'm still waiting!"

"Well what are you going to do about it?" Bella asked simply.

Rose turned, taken off guard by her question. "What am _I _going to do? I shouldn't have to do anything!"

Mamma got up, sensing Rose's frustration and worry. She brushed the girls hair with a soft hand and then took her by the shoulders, almost assertively, looking deep into her eyes. "Rose… you and I, we're women, and as women, we sometimes have to do things ourselves in order to get things done." Roe didn't quite know where she was going with this, but Bella continued, "I left a life of fame and fortune to live here, but that was a choice I made willingly, all by myself… and now it's time for you to take action. If Robert isn't going to tell you, then MAKE him tell you!"

"You mean… question him?"

"Yes!" She smiled and shook Rose slightly. "Rosa, it's like those suffragettes that you see all over the newspaper. They're voices are being heard because they're taking action and making a stand. No one ever got anywhere by putting up and shutting up. Robert cares about you a lot, but he's a man, and as a man he sometimes needs a kick on the behind to wake him up."

"But if he wanted me to go with him he would have told me by now… what if I'm just… you know?"

Bella shook her head. She did not know.

Rose sighed, and looked away awkwardly, not quite knowing how to put it. "What if Robert…. what if he's just using me… for…"

"Sex?" Bella took the words right out of the girls silent mouth. She nodded, and Bella was quick to reassure her. "Robert would never use you for sex… not you of all people." She put her arms out and wrapped the girl tightly in her embrace, looking out the window over at Robert's apartment, with a blank expression on her face. "Robert's a good man… we can rely on him."

Later that day, Rose decided she would do just as Bella had told her. She would confront Robert, and ask him what he was planning to do. But she didn't quite know how. The only man she had ever stood up to was Cal, when she told him "I'd rather be his whore than your wife." as he stopped her from going to find Jack amongst the panicking crowds aboard the Titanic. She then proceeded to spit in his face. A skill that Jack had taught her well. And ever since then she had lived contently, and making her way towards happiness, until now. Was the only good thing in Rose's life about to leave the country without her. And by the looks of things, he was departing soon.

"Working Man's Pleasure" was just around the corner. On these streets, girls in revealing dresses with back-combed, messy hair and overdone make up prowled the alleyways like lionesses, hungry for a kill. The men that walked by wolf whistled at them, but if their wallets didn't come out, the girls just walked the other way. Rose had been friends with Emma for a while now, ever since she saved her from an angry client. Every Friday she would meet Emma outside the "whore house" as Emma liked to put it, and they went out for dinner together and had a girly night out. Rose missed these kind of nights, because all of her friends in Philadelphia were sure that the young Rose was dead and lost at Sea. The thought alone made her shiver, but she tried now to think about it. It was easier to live a lie than to toss and turn at night over the truth.

Rose stood at the bottom of the steps that led into the house, and the men that passed by eyed her up eagerly. Her well dressed appearance, neatly styled hair and generously applied makeup made her stand out fro the rest, of course what these men didn't know was that Rose was not an employee. Rose had been doing this for weeks, and got used to telling passers by, "I'm just waiting for a friend." and funnily enough, the men were not as pushy as you would think. They'd apologise for bothering her and head on their way. Some of them even recognised the girl from every other Friday before and would cheekily say, "Are you STILL waiting on that friend of yours? Poor show my dear lady, poor show." which made Rose snigger slightly… If only Ruth could see her now, hanging around the working classes. It would turn her mother's stomach. This thought alone made Rose laugh out loud.

Just then, the doors swung open, and Emma came bounding down the steps, merrily anticipating Rose's appearance. Today, Emma looked happier than ever. Bringing out a brown envelope, she brandished it in the air as she stood next to Rose.

"Payday at last!" She kissed the brown paper and exhaled contently.

"And by the looks of it someone has had a raise." Rose examined the bulking size of the envelope, compared to previous weeks.

"Well, the boss says I've been working well lately, so she said it was time I got rewarded for it."

Rose had gotten used to the idea of getting paid for sex. "That's good, Emma. At least they're acknowledging your hard work."

There was a pause, and instantly both girls began chuckling over the innuendo behind the expression "hard work" in relation to Emma's occupation. When the hysterical laughter died down, Emma turned to Rose and said, "What does acknowledging mean?"

Rose smiled sweetly and explained, "It means to recognize something, or notice it. They've noticed how well you work and they've paid you extra."

Teaching Emma new words was a regular occurrence. She had a basic education, and when she stopped going to school to make money for her mother and younger siblings, the only job around town which didn't need qualifications was prostitution. The majority of the workers there were young girls who had dropped out of school, desperate to make a living for themselves. Most of the time it was just a name and a bad reputation that they made. Emma's name was Emmanuelle. Her friend Claire was named Coco. And the reputation they had was that they were all a sex craved, ill mannered and inhumane sub species…. Rose knew the truth about these girls.

It was getting dark now, and the two girls had been sitting in Central Park, watching the sky grow black behind the illuminating buildings. They had a whole week of gossip to catch up on, and Emma was telling Rose of a man she was falling in love with.

"He comes to the whore house every couple of days. He always reserves the best room in the house for us, and when we get into bed, it's not all sexual straight away. He likes to cuddle me, and just talk and talk, and nibble my ear, and kiss my neck, and all the romantic stuff that you see in a Nickelodeon." She grinned from ear to ear as she spoke, gazing at the stars. "One time we didn't even have sex! We just spoke about our lives for a couple of hours and then I walked him home and kissed him goodnight."

Rose was puzzled for a moment. "Wait, YOU walked HIM home?"

"C'mon Rose, it's 1912, times are changing. Besides, I'm not exactly a conventinal girl."

"Conventional." Rose corrected her politely.

"Besides, he had paid me. The least I could do was walk him down the block… anyway, enough about me. How's you and your Robert doing? Is he still packing up his things?"

"Yes, although now he's moved onto removing all the furniture from his house." Rose sighed. "Emma, I was going to ask you something…"

"Yes?"

"… but I don't quite know how to put it." She tip toed awkwardly around the question that was on the tip of her tongue.

"Well why don't you just try spitting it out. That's what I've always found easiest." Emma giggled.

"That's just it! You say what's on your mind. I was brought up and conditioned to keep quiet and not voice my opinion or question people. But in recent months, I feel as if I've been given a new lease of life, like I'm a new person… and I need to confront Robert. I need to ask him what the hell he's doing… but I can't quite bring myself to do it."

Emma nodded and listened intently as her red headed friend spoke. "Hmmm… well, personally, I would just get him alone sometime when you're both together, and ask it straight out. What's the worst that could happen? He clearly thinks you're an idiot if he's emptying his home across the street from you and thinks you can't see what's going on right under your nose."

"But I'm afraid." Rose spoke almost silently.

"Afraid of what? has he hit you?" Emma stood up protectively, as if ready to hunt him down.

"No no no, Robert is lovely! He would never do anything to hurt me… I guess I'm just afraid of the truth… what if I'm just his "working man's pleasure?" What if I'm just keeping him company until he moves on?"

"Well of he's so lovely, he wouldn't use you like that, would he?"

Rose was silent, deep in thought.

"If you think he can be such a wonderful man, and yet be secretly using you for sex, then you mustn't really know him that well at all… maybe you should ask yourself what you ALREADY know about him before you ask him what you WANT to know."

Rose knew she was right. Perhaps years of arranged partners had made Rose fall for men too easily, because her mentality of love and relationships was that any stranger would suffice… but now that she was thinking this to herself, was she only trying to ease her feelings over Robert and Jack, or was it true?

"Emma…all this talking and walking has made me hungry… have you ever been to Le Petit De'jeneur?"

"You mean, the diner up in the posh part of the City? I used to dream of being one of the girls in there with the big feathered hats and animal fur coats." she stared longingly at the stars again. A lost girl in this world, aiming high in life. Rose knew the feeling.

"Did I tell you that I worked there now?"

Emma gasped, and almost squealed with excitement. "Seriously? Rose, that's great news!"

"Well I think we should take a stroll up town for a 1st class dinner… but first, we've got to look the part."


End file.
